Twilight Zone Tower of Terror checks out at DCA

You can have one last hurrah on the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disneyland, but you are going to have to wait in line for it. Disneyland’s announcement that the attraction will be undergoing a Marvelous treatment in early 2017 has raised the stakes for park goers who have a nostalgia for this attraction or for the Twilight Zone.

Your first opportunity to ride the service elevator to the Twilight Zone comes when the park opens. Make it your first stop, and you will probably have a wait of about 45 minutes depending on your luck. If you do this, you may miss out on getting FASTPASSES for later in the day. Hand one person in the group all of your park tickets and send them to the FASTPASS machines while the rest of you get in line.

The tricky part is if you want to ride the Tower of Terror at night when the attraction goes through its last checkout. There’s entertainment in the lobby, and the lights are turned out as the elevator crashes through the darkness. Wait times can be longer than 100 minutes. Getting FASTPASSES requires timing in the FASTPASS queue. Some people will stand and wait, letting others get FASTPASSES and asking each person what the time on the pass is.

Chances are that Rod Serling will get a nod in the new Guardians of the Galaxy attraction, and the ride itself may remain unchanged. However, you can be sure that the old time Hollywoodland feel of the attraction will be jacked up to create a spacier atmosphere. So much for theming at Disney California Adventure, it isn’t the first time that the Disneyland Resort has ignored its own theming rules (Tomorrowland) to install references to something popular. It won’t be the last.

However, it will be the last time to ride this particular version of the Tower of Terror. Enjoy the ups and downs.